For many decades it has been a common practice to improve the properties of hydrocarbyl oil-based lubricants and fuels through the use of oil-soluble, water-insoluble functional additives. These additives improve the oil's, for example, load-carrying and extreme pressure properties. In recent times, the increasing cost and scarcity of petroleum has made it increasingly desirable to replace oil-based compositions with aqueous systems where ever possible. Other benefits can also flow from such replacements such as decreased fire hazard and environmental pollution problems. In many cases, however, it is not feasible to make such replacements because the aqueous systems cannot be modified in their properties so as to perform to the same high degree as their oil-based counterparts do. For example, it has been often difficult and even impossible to replace certain oil-based hydraulic fluids with water-based fluids even though the desirability of doing so is evident.
It has now been found that through the use of the carboxylic solubilizer/surfactant combinations of the present invention, it is possible to incorporate in aqueous systems, water-insoluble additives which enable the systems to be useful, for example, as hydraulic fluids.
Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide carboxylic solubilizer/surfactant combinations which are useful in preparing aqueous concentrates and systems which can be used to replace certain oil-based compositions of the prior art. Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent upon the study of the following specification and claims.